I often wonder why Obama-haters tend to hate Obama so much more than they do the Republicans who have a much more malevolent agenda towards the American people. The GOP is engaged in an ongoing campaign to abolish Medicare, Social Security, organized labor, the minority's right to vote, and they repeatedly hold the American people, including the unemployed, hostage to promote the interest of the rich. In addition, they’ve staged a bitter war against women, gays, and the immigrant community - and this GOP assault on the rights of the poor, middle class, and minorities is not just being staged by a radical few. It’s clearly a concerted effort by the entire Republican Party.
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Thousands of Republicans have come together in a solid block of solidarity to embarked upon the exact same agenda. It involves corporations, congressmen, U.S. senators, state senators, state legislatures, city council members, judges, etc. They've come together all across this country, and they're hell-bent on cutting the throat of poor and middle-class America.
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Yet, Black, Obama-haters seem to be completely oblivious to this fact, because they are so totally fixated on this one Black man, Barack Obama, who was elected twice to be President of the United States by a large majority of the American people, that everything else seems to be irrelevant to them. One would think that, that fact alone would, at the very least, cause these haters to reflect on what's REALLY going on inside of their heads. Why, does it seem, that they'd be much more comfortable if President Obama was the White House butler rather than of the President of the United States? There's something very dysfunctional going on there.
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These are people that even the experience of Black history didn't prepare us for, though it should have, if we'd examined it closely enough. Again, they are so fixated on hating Obama that they’re completely blind to everything else. One can prove to them without a doubt that one of their leading and most high profile Obama-haters is connected to several members of ALEC - an organization that's spending HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to obstruct the minority right to vote, and that he was directly involved in herding poor and middle class minorities into Wells Fargo's "Ghetto Loan" scam that caused the bank to have to pay a $175 MILLION SETTLEMENT to Black and Hispanic borrowers - and they’ll simply say something like "Yeah, but Obama played golf with a man who works for the oil company." Thereafter, they won’t say ONE WORD about anything else. Their total disconnection from reality is frightening.
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These people hate Obama so passionately that they’re allowing the GOP - the most insidious domestic threat to the American people in the nation’s history - to pursue it’s malevolent agenda with complete impunity. In fact, their behavior is enhancing the GOP effort.
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I mean, one would think that their tunnel vision alone would send up a red flag signaling them to review their thinking. It’s absolutely amazing how it doesn’t, but it does clearly show why Black people are in such bad shape. The thoughtless behavior of these haters is undeniable confirmation that there are a handful of Black people in this country who hate other Black people - and especially this Black president - as much, or more, than any Klan member. But their hatred is even more insidious than that of a White, White supremacist - at least a White bigot recognizes his bigotry - but the bigotry of these Black "bligots" seem to be cloaked even from their own recognition in a camouflaging labyrinth of pretextural justifications.
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If Malcolm, Martin, and the other Black icons of the past could see what’s currently going on among us, I’m sure they’d hang their heads in shame. But even if they can’t see what’s going on, there are many others who surely will.
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Due to the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first Black president, scholars and historians are going to be scrutinizing this period in history with a fine toothed comb - and they won’t be alone. Due to the flawless memory of the internet, Black people who are yet unborn are going to be looking back and reading our posts, articles, and comments during this period, and I guarantee you that many of us are going to be a huge embarrassment to them.
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Remember, they’ll be reading our remarks with an objective eye. They’ll be able to examine this period in history absent the passions and fog of current politics and with a perspective of 20/20 hindsight. So it will be absolutely clear to them who was engaged in promoting malevolent and selfish agendas, and who were merely "bligoted" (Black bigoted) fools. As a result, many of us are going to be, at best, horrible embarrassments to our families, and at worst, in the case of some high profile people, even smears on their family names.
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You see, what the Obama-haters are engaged in has been going on for centuries - in fact, we were undoubtedly sold into slavery initially by such people in Africa. But back in the day, people were anonymous, so we don’t know whose family members helped to promote the interest of the slave masters. But during this information age, it’s all going to be a part of the public record, and I don’t think many of these people recognize that fact. So what many of us do today, may someday cause our great grandchildren to hang their heads in shame and public ridicule.
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Consider the following. Let’s say that President Obama ends up having a hugely successful presidency and history records him as being one of the nation’s greatest presidents. Many of these Obama-haters’ conspiracy theories and doomsday scenarios will live on as part of the public record. As a result, our great grandchildren and future historians are going to look back upon these people as un-American - and considering the fact that Obama was our first Black president - Black people of the future may even view them, and quite possibly their families, as race traitors.
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I can hear it now: "Hey Willie, I was just reading some of the stuff that your great grandfather wrote. He was a world-class fool and an 'Uncle Tavis.' Now I see where you get it from."

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A HISTORIC PORTRAIT OF TAVIS SMILEY AND CORNEL WEST

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Black people of the future are going be focused on people like Tavis Smiley and Cornel West like a laser due to the negative impact of our 400 year history of having to deal with Black turncoats. Black turncoats have been hugely demonized in the Black community throughout our history. Every Black person in America is familiar with the sentence, "Dim niggas talkin’ bout burnin’ OUR house down, boss" - or a variation thereof.

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The only limitation to the intense hatred and disdain that the Black community has for such people is the fact that history has obscured exactly who they were. But now, due to the flawless memory of the internet, Black people of the future will not only be able to identify these people, but connect them to their contemporaries with a simple people and Google search. Thereafter, they'll be able to connect them to specific families - and I guarantee you, that’s gonna be devastating to the Black families involved. In some cases it may even become a threat to their well being.
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In any event, I would hate to be connected in any way to an "Uncle Tavis," or a "Dr. West" (an educated fool), because these people are directly associated with bringing shame to the Black community during a seminal moment in Black History by not merely criticizing, but trashing, the first Black President of the United States - and their connection with ALEC (Walmart, Wells Fargo, etc.) is not going to help their cause a bit.

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I know my people, and they’re starved for a focal point in which to vent their hostility and frustration over the way that they’ve been treated over the years. So they're never, EVER, going to forget this episode in our history, and their response to people like Tavis and West isn't going to be any different than that of Jewish people who manage to identify Nazi collaborators. So I guarantee you, these two are going to be demonized like no other individuals in Black history.

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Tavis and West seemed to have been determined to ride President Obama’s coattail into American history. Well, they’ve done it, and I sincerely hope they enjoy their infamy, because Black people are going to make Benedict Arnold look like a rock star compared to these two.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Young and curious, crusin= the street, my partner and I, with life at our feet. Beautiful days of summer=s ilk, and beautiful ladies with legs of silk. Miles on the box with Thelonious in tow, playin’ "Round Midnite", with nothin= but soul. Miles was moanin=, Thelonious was Monk, our senses were spinnin=- our top in the trunk.

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Down Century Boulevard, past Sportsman Park, North on Crenshaw, Can=t wait til it=s dark. Crenshaw was jammin=, not like today, with cognitive people, who went their own way. Cadillacs gleamin=, prosperity galore, Ladies a struttin=, that gait I adore. The hood left behind, no denial or shame, among my kind of people, who=d mastered the game.
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Dreamin= and crusin=, yet, chained to the hood, but into an element we both understood. Jazz was the thing that had lured our route, and no chain of poverty was keepin= us out! Cause THE MAN was in town, with his mighty ax, and he was jammin= that night at Dynamite Jack=s.
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So anxious to worship THE MAN in the flesh, the first thing that mornin= we started to dress. In our youthful exuberance we saw nothin= wrong, with the hours to kill before HE would go on. Hence, there we were with nothin= to do, THE MAN=S first note at 9, and it was now only 2.
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So we went to a park on Rodeo Road and proceeded to get in our Mack-daddy mode. We needed two women with presence and class, who were progressive, and sexy, and dug modern jazz.
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We lucked-out, no doubt, with Debra and Gwen, two sisters on cruse in their step-father=s Benz. These women were ladies we soon recognized, not only quite lovely but exceedingly wise. We spoke of Dizzy, Dexter, Thelonious and Bird, and all of the monsters of jazz that we=d heard. Then just as our session was starting to end, Gwen mentioned Dolphy, and we were at it again.
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We partook of the bush, we had a few beers, by 8 it was like we=d been partyin= for years. But now it was time to hit Dynamite Jack=s, to hear THE MAN blow, sip Scotch and relax.
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So we followed the ladies up into the hills, to a fabulous pad, must=ve cost a few bills. We dropped off my car, then got in the wind. We split to see HIM, and my journey began.
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Dynamite Jack=s was the place to be, there seemed to be thousands of new things to see. Doctors, lawyers, pimps and Awhoes@, dope fiends with their nostrils froze; Perverts, politicians (one and the same), everyone seemed to have some kind of game.
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At 16 years old I was really impressed, with this flash, this glitz, this flamboyant success. I knew before long, that my turn would come, I=d shoot for the stars, at least, out of the slum.

Then HE came on stage to a mighty roar, as bustling humanity hung all out the door. A quiet MAN, of knowledge and taste, yet HIS presence sent a chill through the place!
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Then flash became silence, and glitz bled to awe. Pure greatness just glistened from THIS MAN we saw. No posturing, no swagger, no hipster-like Mack, Just unfettered greatness, the essence, in fact....
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On that one precious moment, as I gaped at the stand, my young reckless mind would take hold as a man. That moment estranged from the kid that I=d been. Life’s door was flung wide, and a new man would step in.
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Now, many years later, assessing my life, with the dues of raising two kids with a wife. THE MAN is long gone from this earthly plain, but HIS unflaunting manhood stays etched in my brain.
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A kid on that night gave birth to a plan, that night when I looked up in awe at THE MAN. Revealed was a path that would color my life, that shunned the flamboyance and glitz of the night. To shoot for the stars! That was my plan - the stardom that=s found in just being A MAN!
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I’ve taken two souls, and molded their lives, away from the flash, and the glitz, of the night. Two college age kids now view ME with awe. I now see in their eyes what that night HE saw.
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Greatness is relative, I learned from THE MAN, through the glint in HIS eye, and HIS demeanor on stand. You don’t have to be famous to be someone grand, just pull up your trousers, and stand tall like a man.
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It was KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM that night that I saw; the EXCELLENCE of DISCIPLINE that put awe in awe, of one humble spirit, so sweet and sublime, but a spirit that=ll speak to all man for all time!
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So a droplet of beauty, from this "kid" to mankind; a pearl of wisdom, a wistful rhyme; some insight he gained as he bat away tears; might his essence endure through the unfolding years?
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A journey began, on that faithful night, that moment a young set of eyes saw AFirst Light.@ When HE tapped out the rhythm to Africa Brass . . .
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and my dream to see COLTRANE had come true at last.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Fool Strikes Again: Cornel West Calls President Obama a War Criminal

Once again Dr. Cornel West has gone out of his way to inflame headlines and relegate a complex issue to the waste bin of simplistic zealotry by calling President Obama a war criminal.
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In his typical pseudo intellectual fashion, West continues to shout the obvious - that innocent people are being killed in war - in the most inflammatory tones as though he's relating something new.
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While most Americans are against the killing of innocent noncombatants, we also recognize that it invariably happens in every war. That’s one of many things that makes engaging in war such a horrible thing. But Cornel West is shouting from the rafters and going into public convulsions as though the first time it's ever happened is under Barack Obama. Thus, I'd like to challenge Dr. West to name one war in the history of mankind where innocent noncombatants weren't killed.
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During WWII, a war that most Americans consider a heroic undertaking, we dropped not one, but two atomic bombs on Japan - one each on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - killing men, women, children, newborn babies, cute little puppies, and cuddly little kittens. So again, ALL wars involve killing innocent noncombatants, but now, all of a sudden, everybody wants to whole Barack Obama to a different standard than we’ve held every head of state since long before Jesus walked the Earth. We need to examine that attitude - especially Black people, because it looks an awfully lot like it’s grounded in racism.
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So here's the problem with people like Tavis and West - they invariably shoot from the hip with inflammatory comments and disseminate disinformation in order to garner headlines to promote their own selfish agendas. As a result, instead of enhancing debate, they distract from any serious discussion of the issues - and in the process, they lend comfort to the most harsh and dedicated enemies of the Black community, but they don't seem to mind that at all.

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In addition, West is not privy to even one sentence of the intelligence that President Obama has at his disposal. Yet, he’s shooting off his mouth as though the CIA is putting a condition report on his desk every morning for his review. We must never forget that Pakistan, right next door to Afghanistan - and where Osama Bin Laden was found and killed - is armed with nuclear weapons, and the president has a responsibility to see to it that those weapons never fall into the hands of Al Qaeda. If they do, America, and YOUR family, will fall under the dire threat of nuclear annihilation.
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So while people like Tavis Smiley and Cornel West are jumping up and down in ignorance, and engaging in a recklessly selfish attempt to gain headlines and get the president's acknowledgment, the President is engaged in serious business - America’s business. So they have to understand, just like irate children seeking attention, that the president doesn't have time to come out and play, and regardless to how many tantrums they engage in, or how inflammatory they become, the president simply doesn't have time to come sit in the sandbox with them.
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Adults understand that the issues aren’t as cut-n-dried as people like Tavis and West would have us believe. Yes, on the surface it seems like simple common sense that it’s wrong to kill an American citizen without due process - even if that citizen is collaborating with the enemy. But place yourself in the position of the president for a moment. Let’s say you have credible information that Al Qaeda is going to launch an attack on an American position on Tuesday morning, but you can prevent the attack by launching a preemptive drone attack on Al Qaeda's position on Monday night. You have one problem, however - you also have intelligence that indicates there’s a collaborator on the enemy site who is an American citizen. Are you going to hold off your preemptive attack because the collaborator hasn’t been afforded due process? I don't think so, any more than a police officer is going to wait on a court order to defend himself on the street.
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And let us not forget that once a precedent has been set of holding off attacks in order to protect the lives of American collaborators, from that point on Al Qaeda can use that against us. All they have to do is surround themselves with American sympathizers as human shields to insure themselves against attack. So these issues aren’t as simple as they might seem at first blush. While, of course, we must be careful to protect the rights and security of innocent American citizens, jumping up and down screaming and pointing fingers is not the kind of approach that is appropriate for considering such weighty concerns.
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But a Cornel West supporter recently called me to task for constantly challenging Dr. West’s intelligence. He asked, "Eric, who made you judge and jury to attribute intelligence or lack thereof, to any individual?"
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That's a reasonable question, so I'll try to give a reasonable response. My assessment of a person's intelligence is not based on their credentials, but on their behavior. And who am I to make such a judgment? I'm human, and human beings are called upon to make such judgments hundreds of times a day just to survive. It's called assessing your environment. In this case, it's extremely important for the Black community to assess West's competence, because, considering his flagging, but still substantial influence, failing to understand his character, motivations, and shortcomings could have a devastating impact on our community.
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The results of the 2000 election stands as a perfect example of my contention. George W. Bush won the 2000 election by winning Florida by 537 votes. In that same state, the Nader/West coalition peeled away 97,488 votes. So one could argue that West is more than a little responsible for the suffering that's currently going on among Black people today. And you know what? West didn't learn a thing. He tried to team up with Nader again in the last election. So either he lacks intelligence, or he's engaged in collusion with the Republican Party. It's very important, therefore, that the Black community make a valid assessment of who this man is..
As Min. Louis Farrakhan so adroitly pointed out to Tavis Smiley, President Obama is not turning grey-headed for nothing. He’s dealing with serious issues, and he’s privy to information in which we can only speculate. So it’s one thing to question policy, but when Cornel West goes around making incendiary comments and calling the President of the United States a war criminal, it's not only childish, irresponsible, unprofessional, and ignorant, but it lends support to the enemies of both the Black community, and the American people as a whole.

Monday, February 11, 2013

I just read a snippet from an old article in Essence Magazine indicating that researchers have uncovered new information suggesting that Cleopatra may not have been Black. The article brought back to mind a piece I read by Earl Ofari Hutchinson many years ago entitled, Whose Black History To Believe? In that very insightful article Hutchinson points out that black history tends to be given either short shrift by traditional historians, or is exaggerated beyond all recognition by historians of a more Afrocentric persuasion. His premise is that both approaches do a disservice to African-American history. His analysis shows that African-Americans would be better served by a more balanced interweaving of African-American history into the fabric of American history as a whole. .While I'm in total agreement with both his premise and analysis, I think it's important to take this issue one step farther. We need to explore why so many of us feel the need to exaggerate our history in the first place. We also need to understand how this game we find ourselves involved in distracts us from the bigger picture..The importance of cultural history is that it contributes to the collective self-esteem of a people. It brings cohesion by giving the members of a given group something in common to rally around as their own. A culture, much like an individual, is so much in need of a feeling of self-esteem that it invariably manufactures its own history, which often bears little or no resemblance to reality. For those very reasons, therefore, much of history is a lie. In fact, history itself has been defined as "A lie agreed upon." .My personal definition of history is "The often exaggerated, and invariably sanitized account of ordinary men committing unconscionable atrocities in the name of God." So I generally ignore the heroics of history, because that's generally a lie. I use history as a general outline so I can look over my shoulder to avoid obstacles, much like I look over my shoulder when I'm pulling out of my driveway. But I never lose sight of the fact that the point of getting into my car in the first place is to reach my destination, and in order to do that, I must look forward and focus my primary attention on what's before me, not where I've been..A concrete example of how the myth of history works can be seen by looking back at the Vietnam War. Having never lost a war at that time, upon entering the Vietnam War the United States had already geared up for manufacturing a history to justify its presence in Vietnam, much like we're struggling with today to justify the war in Iraq. The U.S. Finally came up with what was called "The Domino Theory." According to this theory, the North Vietnamese were merely fronting for Communist China, and if the United States allowed South Vietnam to fall to the North Vietnamese, people in that part of the world would be slaughtered, and all the rest of the countries in the area would fall like "dominoes" to Chinese communism. .If the United States had won the Vietnam war that lie would have become an official part of world history. Young children all over the world would have read it as gospel for eons. But since the United States didn't win, this would-be "historical fact" has been left without a home, and now, forty years later, the lie stands as a glaring example of how nations manufacture lies to justify their conduct..The United States is not unique in fabricating history, however. All nations and all cultures do it. If Germany had won WWII the history of that war would have been written from an entirely different perspective; If Great Britain had won The Revolutionary War, the esteemed forefathers of the United States would have been remembered as a group similar to the way the United States currently view The Black Panther Party, or Cinque and the Symbionese Liberation Army. .Similarly, in just the past thirty years the GOP has all but deified Ronald Reagan, when in reality, he should have been impeached and jailed for trading arms to the enemy of the United States and flooding America's inner cities with drugs to generate revenue to support his illegal war in Nicaragua. So, again, much of history is nothing more than a lot of exaggerated, and/or, sanitized nonsense. .An example of this principle at work on a cultural level can be found in the White culture's touting of Benny Goodman as "The King of Swing", or Elvis Presley as "The King of Rock n Roll." We know that's not true today, but as time passes, and there's no one left to attest to the inaccuracy of such claims, eventually it'll become a "historical fact"-- or factoid (something repeated so often that it is seen as a fact)..So it is clear that the history game is just that--a game. But it's a game that black Americans should only play quite sparingly if at all, since due to the unique position of the African-American in legitimate modern history, we come to this game with a decided disadvantage. .The African-American culture is a relatively new culture, thus, our history is verifiable. Therefore, African-Americans don't have the machinery in place to effectively promote the hype necessary to fully participate in the history game. But since, in any event, the game only serves to divert our attention from what is really important--getting on with the business of building true viability as a people--black participation in the game is nothing more than an exercise in me-too-ism..But it seems that whenever I hear a discussion on Black pride, someone always brings up the issue of Egypt, and whether or not Cleopatra was Black. Black people have got to understand that the issue is not important–in fact, it's academic. While it is always good to stay in touch with one's roots, the fact is, the African-American culture has long since ceased being purely African--even though the continent of Africa will always define the core of our being--and any connection that we may, or may not have had with Egypt and/or Cleopatra is remote at best, at least, in a strictly cultural sense. It's as though we're going around, hat in hand, desperately searching for a piece of history to call our own. We shouldn't place ourselves in that position–it's undignified, pathetic, and wholly unnecessary..We must begin to understand that we are a new culture. We ceased being Africans when it became necessary to adapt to the fields and ghettos of America. Neither are we simply Americans--we became something more than simply Americans when it became necessary to become more than simple Americans for our very survival. We are a brand new culture--a culture conceived in pain, delivered into turmoil, baptized in deprivation, and weaned on injustice. And since adversity is experience, and experience translates into knowledge, we don't have a thing to be ashamed of. The uniquely pointed adversity that we have experienced makes us more, rather than less. Thus, we are a culture that is only now in the infancy of its development. For that reason, we cannot hope to compete, lie-for-lie, with ancient cultures relative to history, since our history is only now being written. But for that very same reason, we don't have to try to compete..The fact that we are a new culture doesn't mean that we are anything less than the older cultures, it simply means that our greatest contribution to man lies before us. We don't have to look back to antiquity to find a source of pride, all we have to do is study the life and times of our parents, our grandparents, and that generation of black people born between the turn of the century and WWII. .In less than 50 years, the Black people of that generation went from housekeepers and flunkies to the boardrooms of multinational corporations. In less than 50 years, they went from playing washboards and tin cans on the side of the road, to becoming some of the greatest musicians the world has ever known. In less than 50 years these people have gone from the defenseless and nameless victims of public lynchings, to laying a foundation, along with their White supporters (who must not be forgotten), that led directly to Barack Obama becoming the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth--and that is a chapter in history that is verifiable..The most cursory glance demonstrates that there is something unusually unique about this new culture. While social scientists have postulated that all minority cultures must assimilate, dilute, and subordinate themselves to the dominant cultural soup, there is clear evidence that the African-American culture has had a much greater impact on the dominant culture than is the reverse. .Members of the dominant cultural group under fifty years of age have more in common with the African-American culture in terms of attitudes, style, and personal taste, than they have with their own grandparents. Black music--Jazz, Blues, Rap, and, yes, Rock n Roll--is the predominate music, not only in the United States, but in the entire world. Every time a Rock group goes on stage, they sing a tribute to nameless slaves moanin' in the fields--and just to turn on a radio or television set anywhere in the Western world, is to pay a tribute to Duke, Bird, Miles, and Diz..In addition, the United States of America has honored only four men in history by declaring the day of their birth a national day of celebration--Jesus Christ of Nazareth, widely accepted by many as the father of all mankind; President George Washington, the father of this nation; Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas (along with the native Americans who were already a part thereof); and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose forebears were brought to these shores in chains. .That says a lot about that humble black man—and it says just as much about his people. In spite of the fact that Dr. King began his life burdened by the inherent disadvantages of being blessed with black skin in a Jim Crow environment, his words, his intellect, and his deeds so inspired the heart and soul of humanity that America saw fit to set aside a day for this nation--this world--to thank God that he was allowed to walk among us. His was a soul with such strength that it served to lift the rest of mankind to a higher level of humanity. That's not only a testament to one black man's ability to pull himself from the dust of his humble beginnings, it's also a testament to the capacity of his people to meet the test of greatness--and that's a history that is verifiable..So while it's extremely improtant to never forget our journey, it’s much more important to focus on who we currently are, and to create a vision of who we wish to become in the future. Because, whether intentionally or not, when we fixate singularly on the past we send a subliminal message to Black youth that we’re less than viable today and that our greatest days are behind us, and that’s a hugely erroneous message. . Let us consider President Obama’s accomplishment alone. Barack Obama has accomplished a feat more gloriously impressive than any man in HUMAN history. What he’s accomplished is directly analogous to a conquered African peasant rising to become the emperor of Rome - and he’s done that in OUR TIME! So why do we feel that we must look all the way back to antiquity to find evidence of greatness in our people? What we should be focused on is building on his accomplishment - and a big part of that process, by the way, involves stamping out the voices of those among us who, due to greed, self-service and envy, are trying to marginalize that accomplishment..So, we must take pride in who we are now, and in our own personal journeys. We must begin to realize that in our own journey through life history is also being made. You don't have to be a world conqueror to have an impact on the history of mankind, you simply have to make decisions in your personal life that helps to enhance and move your people forward towards their appointment with destiny. And every time you face life's obstacles with courage and perseverance you meet that challenge. After all, you don't make decisions in a vacuum-- every decision that you make in life becomes a public decision. People are watching, your children are watching, and if you nurture your children properly, they will make the character of your decisions an indelible part of the public record..Thus, the character that you reflect in your daily conduct carries the seed that your children will carry with them for generations. For that reason, I don't regret one moment of my youth that I spent stumblin' through Watts on whatever drug happened to be convenient. Those years were part of a personal journey that stands as a monument to who I am today. Of course, I related those struggles to my children as stumbling blocks to be avoided at all costs, but they were also related as examples of perseverance, and the determination to overcome the obstacles in my life. They were related as examples of turning the adversity in life into the kind of knowledge and strength of character that makes one MORE formidable, rather than less . By overcoming the adversity in my life, it allowed me to relate those experiences with just as much pride as the White culture relates the experiences of General Patton to their children. George fought his battles, and I fought mine, and as far as my children are concerned--as far as I'm concern--one is no less heroic than the other. Thus:

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I NOW STAND FIRM

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I now stand firm. My conviction of the power of knowledge is the platform upon which my podium rests. I stand firm, strong, and now free. Free of anger. Free of self-delusion. Free of the folly of empty vanity, and free of the pernicious bane of meaningless pride without substance.

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I stand free to look upon the eyes of other men, reflecting dignity over sorrow, and accomplishment over pain; I stand with a burning passion, fueled by the very flame that forged ancestral shackles,with a deep sense of pride and a pride that flows deep..

I now stand erect. The steel that once degraded my father, that chained him in bondage to this bitter Earth, now reinforce my character, making me more, rather than less; and the blood and sweat that once drenched his brow, now rage with resolve and a sense of purpose within my burning breast.

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I now stand as a new being - neither simply African, nor simply American, but a hybrid forced to transcend the sum of my parts; no longer simply African, since being torn away from the African motherland to suffer and toil in the fields of America, and more than simply American, after being forced to be more than simply American just to survive within the bowels of this prosperous land.

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Thus, I stand now armed - armed with the wisdom of deprivation, the courage of my conviction, and a deep conviction of my courage; and fortified - with the confidence of a survivor, the empowerment of knowledge, and a ravishing hunger for greatness.

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I now stand the product of love, struggle, and sacrifice; a witness to man's inhumanity to man, and a monument to the hopes and dreams of a million slaves.

Friday, February 08, 2013

If God knows all, and he knows a billion years before Billy is born that Billy is going to end up in Hell, is there anything Billy can do in life to make God wrong?

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The above question is designed to point out two things - first, it points out that much of the religious doctrine that we’ve been taught is a myth that can’t stand up to logical examination. Secondly, I intend to argue that we can only know God’s will by what God has done - and what he has clearly done, was made birds to fly, fish to swim, and man to think, not to rely on a "user's guide" to inform our lives.

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Irrefutable evidence of that is the fact that when God placed man on Earth, he placed us here as necked apes. We weren’t as strong as the elephant, as ferocious as the lion, nor could we fly above danger like the eagle. So the cards were stacked against our ultimate survival - except for one thing. God provided man with a unique tool for survival - the human mind.
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Now, as a direct result of the effective use of that resource, we have built machines that can crush any elephant, slaughter the most ferocious lion, and fly far beyond the domain of the most dedicated eagle - in fact, we’ve now soared beyond the clouds, and on to explore other worlds.
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That's a powerful indicator of God’s will. It clearly demonstrates that God intended man to be a logical, thinking, being. On the other hand, God has done absolutely nothing to suggest that he intended to relegate mankind to being ignorant and superstitious victims, cowering in fear of the unknown, and obliged to be reliant upon "faith" in the words of "anointed" others to guide our existence. That’s not God’s will; that's man’s will. So the fact is, having more "faith" in what man tells us about God than we have in what God has actually done, is a slap in the face of God himself. Because the bottom line is, that's not faith in God; that's faith in man.
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THE INQUISITION WHEEL

That explains why we're living in a constant state of anger, hatred, and turmoil. We’re living against God’s will. Our attempt to survive on faith rather than the logic and intellect that is our God-given nature is as contrary to the natural scheme of things as a bird who refuses to fly, or a fish who refuses to swim - and the chances of our ultimate survival under the current circumstances are just as slim.
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So while I don't have a problem with the church, per se, I do have a severe problem with blind faith. Therefore, I asked the above question regarding Billy’s ultimate fate in order to demonstrate that, for the most part, religion is not only based on superstition rather than the sound logic and common sense upon which God blessed mankind, but it’s own dogma is self-contradictory. It is also my intent to argue that the only reason that many of us believe what we believe is because we choose to believe it, regardless to whether it makes sense or not - and since what we choose to believe is both toxic and intrinsically hostile to harmonious existence, it has led to man's plague of seemingly intractable problems.
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The primary problem is, instead of adhering to our nature - to be logical and independent thinkers - we insist on worshiping totem poles. And instead of being practical in addressing the issues that plague mankind, we remain fixated on meaningless dogma, superficialities, and rituals. In short, we’re being stupid, and stupidity has nothing to do with God. Our gross stupidity only serves to promote one purpose - the needs of greedy, evil, and power-hungry men.
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Do I believe in God? Yes I do, but that doesn’t mean that I believe in Voodoo, talking snakes, and walking dead men. For me, God is whatever force that is responsible for the existence of the universe - or to be more precise, existence itself. So I can see my God, since, from my point of view, God, Nature, and the Universe are synonymous.
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Thus, God is not a speculative concept for me. If "I think, therefore, I am;" I am, therefore, God is. For there cannot be creation without a creative force, and whatever that force is, as far as I'm concerned, it constitutes God. Thus, the question is not whether or not God exists, but rather, what is the nature of God's existence?
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So by giving my own God-given ability to think priority over faith, with respect to my personal beliefs, that frees me from having to be reliant upon the words, and fees, of so-called "anointed" men. It also gives me a leg up on atheists, because while atheists take the position that those of us who believe in God have no evidence to show that God exists, my position is, the existence of the universe gives me concrete evidence of God's existence, while they're left with mere opinion, and even that - the proposition that something came from nothing - strains conventional logic.
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The biggest problem that I have with organized religion, however, has nothing to do with the existence of God. My problem with religion begins and ends with the blatant manipulation of mankind in the name of God. The greed, self-service, and shameless hypocrisy of man have turned what should be a spiritual experience into something that’s ugly, divisive, and malevolent - and all of that starts with the concept of blind "faith."
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Man has a vested interest in controlling other men, so he uses the concept of faith to coerce the masses into accepting man himself as the spokesman for God. He does that by laying out written tablets, then convincing the masses that these tablets represent the "word of God." He then goes on to convince them that God has appointed him to ensure that "God’s word" is followed to the letter, and any deviation from the word of God, or even a second’s doubt that the book - in this case, the Bible - indeed, represents the word of God, is an act heresy, which will result in the most hideous punishment known to man - and, it will endure throughout eternity. Once demagogues got the masses to accept that, they literally took control of your minds. So for all intent and purpose, they became your God.
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It is precisely because of this ploy that we often hear people using the Bible as a metaphor for God. They don’t ask, "Do you believe in God?" They ask, "Do you believe in the Bible?" Their question implies that it goes without saying that the Bible is the word of God. That’s what allows the social manipulators to come in with the Bible under their arm and set themselves up as the spokesmen for God. That’s also why so many preachers are driving around in big cars - because the people think that by making the preacher rich, they’re gaining favor with the Supreme Being. It’s the biggest scam on the face of the Earth.
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What a great racket, this organized religion game - and the people never stop to think for a minute that the "faith" that they embrace so intently, is not a faith in God at all. Their putting their faith in man, and what corrupt men are telling them about God. And since the people have been taught, literally from birth, that questioning what they’re being told by these "God-anointed" men is an assault on God himself, these charlatans, and their scam, are completely insulated from the ravages of a sudden plague of common sense.
.So, carefully consider the question that I posed above, for it pits the common sense that God gave us against the contrived nonsense that man would have us believe. It both, points out a major flaw in the dogma that’s being forced down the people’s throats, and it clearly demonstrates that many of us can no more substantiate the validity of what we choose to believe than a child can substantiate the existence of Santa Claus.
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Our belief system has absolutely nothing to do with either morality, or, our love of God. We believe what we believe for one of two reasons - since organized religion never fails to support the status quo, if you’re a part of the ruling class, it rigs the system in your behalf, and if you’re of the subordinate class, you’re afraid not to believe it, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s factually valid or not.
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In addition, one of the first things we learn as we’re being indoctrinated as children is how to avoid the reality of common sense. In order to insulate religion from our common sense seeping through to suggest that snakes can’t talk, and that dead men don’t just get up and walk away, we’ve been taught that any flash of insight isn’t common sense at all. It's evil. It’s actually the Bogeyman whispering in our ear, trying to steal us away from God. Thus, we've literally been threatened not to acknowledge the common sense that God bestowed upon us.
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So instead of giving truth priority over ideology, we learn early in life to distort truth in order to make it conform to what we want to believe. That, in turn, is what makes it much easier to indulge in hatred, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and endless wars. Thus, instead of being a part of the solution, organized religion is invariably one of man's biggest problems.
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It’s no accident that the Klan originated in the Bible Belt and the most religious parts of the world are also the most brutally intolerant. Religion is THE most morally efficient form of segregation. It allows one to validate one's self as part of a special order of human being - or, one of God's "chosen people" - while invalidating others as flawed. Thus, every since it's inception, religion has served as a God-approved justification for hating our fellow man - or at the very least, looking down upon them. It allows us to say, "it’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me - it’s just that God does."

The Conversion.

"Come here nigga and let me teach yo crazy, animal ass about the Lord. The first thing you got to learn is to Love thy Neighbor . . . especially me."
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"Yes sir, Massa. Why would anybody not love you, Sir? You so good to me, Massa. Anybody don't love you needs to have dey ass beat real good, Massa."
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"Shut up, nigga. I'm talkin'."
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"Listen, you been blessed already, and you don't even know the Lord. The Lord made it where you don't have to worry 'bout a thing. I feed you, I put clothes on yo nasty ass, and I give you a shed to sleep in, and all you have to do is whatever the hell I tell you to. Do you know how blessed you are?"
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"Oh, indeed I do, Massa. You take good care of me. I's so happy."
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"Now, listen real good 'cause dis impotant. God said, thou shalt not steal from me, thou shalt not kill (unless I tell you to), thou shalt not stick another coon's wife (unless we tryin' to make some mo niggas), and nigga, whatever you do, thou shalt not even look like you want to stick a white woman, or we gon lynch yo black ass. You here me, nigga?"
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"Oh yes, Massa. We know dat! But Massa, I thought you said thou shalt not kill?"
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"Dat means people, fool - real people! Dat don't go for niggas. God wants us to keep you in yo place.".
"Dat's right, Massa. We sho gotta keep niggas in dey place. No tellin' what a happen if we let dese niggas git loose. God so smart."
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"I said shut up, nigga, and listen to the word."
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"The next thing you got to learn is, whatever happens on this plantation is God's will bein' done. And if you listen to me, you'll get to live like I do when you die and go to Heaven."
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"Live like you, massa? A nigga ain't got no business livin' dat good. What a Po nigga like me gon do with all this? You know I ain't got sense enough to run nothin' like this."
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"Just shut up, nigga!" When you dead you gon get some sense - the lord gon give it to you. The Lord can do anything, even give sense to a nigga. And he gon give you all the other niggas you gon need to help you in the fields, too."
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"Massa, you so good to me! Thank you for tellin' me all dis. I'm gon be a good nigga - the best nigga you ever seened. Look, I'm gon pray for you right now, and thank the Lord for givin' me so good a massa."
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"Shut up and get up off your knees, ya dumb nigga! The fields need tendin'! You pray to the Lord on your own time. God don't won't you talkin' to him when you s'pose to be workin'."
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"A couse, Massa. What I been thinkin'? I's so dumb. I don't know why you put up with me, Sir."
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"How many times I got to tell you to shut the hell up, nigga?"
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"Yes Sir, I's a shuttin', Massa. I's a shuttin', right now."
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"Now get yo ass out there in that field and let's get some work done around here . . . Oh, and Toby, have yo woman meet me in the barn. I need to tell her 'bout the Lord too."
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"Yes sir, Massa."
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"And another thing, Toby, if my momma come a lookin', tell her I'm playin' in my tree house."
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"Why you gon go fibbin' to yo momma, Mr. Tommy? She knows you like to sit wit Lou Ann."
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"Just shut up, nigga, and do what I said! And tell Lou Ann to wear that pretty dress I like, cause we gon be talkin' 'bout the Lord, so it's gon be like chuch."
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"Yes Sir, Mr. Tommy." . . . "Whaaaaaaat a friend we have in Jeeeeesus . . ."
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Thus, many of man’s most severe problems will continue to be intractable until we learn to use our intellect - that quality that makes us most human - instead of caving in to our emotions - which coincide with our most primordial and animalistic nature. Unfortunately, too few of us are prepared to recognize that fact. Instead, we insist on whining about how poor we are, even as we continue to buy preachers big cars and lavish homes.
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Well, here’s a message from God (common sense) to the Black community, and America as a whole - You will never be free, as long as you continue to allow your minds to be enslaved.
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Amen.

Society Of Professional Journalists

Eric L. Wattree

Strive To Become Your Own Hero... Then Let No One Remove Your Cape.

BIO

Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet, and musician, born in Los Angeles. He’s been a columnist for The Los Angeles Sentinel, Black Star News, The Atlanta Post, and is a member of the Sigma Delta Chi Society of Professional Journalists (http://www.spj.org/). He’s also the author of "A Message From the Hood."Some of the greatest minds I’ve ever known held court while sitting on empty milk crates in the parking lots of ghetto liquor stores, while some of the weakest minds I’ve ever known roamed the halls of academia in pursuit of credentials over knowledge.Eric L. Wattreehttp://www.whohub.com/wattree

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